Page 4 of Omega Tricked
His mouth drooped with disappointment. “I care about you, Dylan. I’m not trying to be mean.”
“I know.”
He sighed. “You can go. I’ll see you Wednesday.”
“Yep.” I stood and left his office, resentment rolling through me. I did realize he meant well; he simply didn’t understand what I was going through. Losing a child wasn’t something I could just shake off. Learning to trust again wasn’t something I had in me. I’d never trust another alpha.Never.
Chapter Two
Lex
“You can’t just stick your head in the sand, Lex,” Gabriele said, raking a hand through his black hair. “The men are looking to you for answers.”
I set my watercolor brush down and pulled my painting smock off over my head. I tossed it over a chair carelessly and gave him a hard look. “As I’ve told you a dozen times, I have no interest in running the Sabine crime syndicate.”
“Jesus, Lex. You’re the only Sabine left. Who the hell else is going to step up?”
Frustration rolled through me. “Anyone who wants to do it is fine by me.”
He widened his eyes. “It doesn’t work like that. It’s your rightful position as the last of your line.”
I scowled and moved to pour myself a glass of whiskey. “You know more about the inner workings of the organization than I do. You should be in charge.”
“First off all, I’m not a Sabine. Secondly, I prefer taking orders, not giving them. I’m not cut out to be the head honcho.”
I leaned toward him and said pointedly, “Neither am I.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re a natural leader.”
I grimaced. “But I don’t enjoy all the violence and conniving that Dad thrived on.”
He twisted his lips. “You’re no angel, Lex.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I never said I was an angel. But I’m trying to change.”
“You’ve certainly enjoyed the power and privilege your dad’s violence and conniving have afforded you.”
“Like I said, I’m no angel. But I have tried to distance myself from Dad the last year. I’ve started a legitimate business, and I want to focus on that.”
“You mean the art gallery that you funded using your dad’s dirty money?”
My face warmed. “I paid him back every penny. The gallery is making a nice profit now, without Dad’s help.”
“Lex, you’re a fool if you don’t think half of your success is because you’re the son of Corbin Sabine.”
His words hit on my insecurities. Of course I worried that people only supported me because of who my dad was. I longed to stand on my own two feet, apart from my dad, but his shadow was always there over me. I had no idea who liked me for me or who was using me. It was impossible to trust people because the second they knew I was a Sabine, they treated me differently. But I didn’t want to live my life as a thug, conning and extorting money. Of course, growing up like I had, I could be violent if needed, but I liked to believe that wasn’t my true nature.
“For all we know Dad is just testing us,” I grumbled. “It would be just like him to pretend to disappear to see what we all do.”
Gabriele looked unconvinced. “Do you seriously believe that?”
If Dad had only been gone a few weeks, perhaps I would have believed that, but a month away from his beloved empire seemed hard to swallow. He lived and breathed this smarmy business. It was hard to imagine him turning his back on all he’d built just to yank my chain. “I don’t know what to think.”
“He wouldn’t be away this long. His absence has created instability. He wouldn’t want that.”
“I suppose not.”
“Something has happened to him. I’m sure of it. As his only living son, it’s your duty to find out what that is. You can’t just let someone take him out and not retaliate.”
